I always feel cheated if I pay for a buffet lunch/dinner

There are some Chinese restaurants in my area, and their buffets are quite cheap if you don't visit them Friday night or Saturday night. A buffet meal is slightly more expensive than a la carte, but there is a not a big difference between those things. I like their buffets because they give me the chance to try many different kinds of dishes. I only eat a bit of each dish. Sometimes I only eat one plate, and sometimes I eat two plates, but I don't fill the plate with the food the second time, I just pick a few of the dishes that I enjoyed the first time. If the buffet is relatively cheap I often choose that. If it is expensive I choose a la carte, because I know that I am not going to eat more than one or (maybe) two plates.

I feel cheated too, I also don't eat much and mostly the food you find over there is cheap as well. There was a new restaurant over here. at the start very good food and service.. but the longer they are there the worser the service and food, it's real low budget. So I don't go over there anymore. Also drinks are never included so in the end I have less food, a bad quality (I can cook better for 1/5 of the price for a whole family) and pay way more as wehn I go for alacarte.

Well I haven't been to a buffet in forever. When I did go to buffets, I could usually find enough food and appetite in order to justify the price. Though the buffet prices are kinda high. I can't really think of a reason that I haven't been to a buffet recently. Just that when I'm out I prefer to sit down and have food brought to me, and when I want to choose my own meals then I just stay home and make it myself. So I guess you could say I prefer a la carte.

I enjoy both buffet and ala carte. I love buffets since I eat a lot. On the other hand, I love ala carte because the quality in ala carte dishes are much better and usually more delicious. I don't eat buffets often. Maybe once every two months is enough. After eating buffets, I always keep telling myself I don't want to eat so much anymore. Haha.

I always go for ala carte... since like you I do not eat that much and I think I am paying more than I could eat if I will go to a buffet meals. In ala carte I could always ask the extra meal to be brought home so someone still could eat them later. But sometime I like to eat that value meals for the serving is just enough of what I can consume.

I too don't eat that much so I prefer to go for ala carte foods. But, there are really times that I want to eat buffet meals because there are choices that my mouth is looking for. When my friends would ask to go to buffet lunch or dinner they would also feel being at a lost since I only can eat just one full plate and a small plate for desert. Most of the time they would invite me for ala carte foods because they are assured that their money is worth it.

but some one is eating more

I haven't been to ala cartes and I didn't know those exists but I've been to a lot of buffets already and I enjoyed every single buffet I've been too. I love eating and I'm a little matakaw so I'm always pigging out in buffets.

I go for the buffet, since, unlike as you, I do like to eat, so, I usually get more for what I paid. Sometimes, at some restaurants, I prefer ala carte, specially when I am dinning with someone else, I think is much classier.

I prefer buffet a la carte, but because I can ask exactly what I want to eat. I don´t think that buffet meals are fun, except if you go with mant people and all of them will get what they want. When we go to buffet restaurant and noone is specially inviting, we split no matter if one of us asked for an expensive drink and another drank water. As for a la carte restaurants, even is we take home what we left it is VERY expensive as compared to buffet restaurants (more like the family kind).

I enjoy alacarte as even i feel its better. there are many reasons to it. I honestly believe we end up paying more for a buffet plus generally we are full only at the start due to the starters that we eat.. Then all the main course goes waste..So, yes I second your thought..

I enjoy buffets since i can go back again and again, but i just don't like how it costs.. since i am also a light eater.. i don't really eat very much in one setting, but i d get hungry fast.. So I might stay in the buffet for a few hours to really eat a lot.

For me, it depends on the kinds of food served. If the dishes are Japanese and Chinese, I usually go for eat-all-you-can buffets. I can eat helping after helpings of sushi and dumplings! But most of the time, I go ala carte especially when I am still full for the day. Sometimes, If I am invited to a buffet lunch or dinner, I eat light snacks through the day to leave lots of room for later!

We usually eat at smorgasboards or eat-all-you-can-buffet when occasion arises and indeed, we get the guilt of having eaten a lot that it can be ruled as glutony. Even if its somebody paying for it, you still think of how all those foods will affect your body system and how long you are going to hit the treadmill to burn all the calories. I think it is still best to just eat the most expensive food at the display for just the right amount and that way, you can say I got even with the cost of the buffet.

i know what you mean, especially if you are a small eater like me! i find those places are good for people who eat several plates full of food. most times, i am lucky if i can eat one plateful of food.

I am the same as you at the moment, because I am trying to lose weight. I went to a Chinese Buffet a couple of weeks ago and had to pay £12.99 for the food and then more for the drinks as well. I only had one plate of food and this means that it was a very expensive meal indeed. If I went to somewhere that sold actual meals, I would just get a main course whereas most other people in the party would get three courses. I prefer that, as I would only pay for the food that I have eaten rather than paying more so that everybody else can have as much as they can eat whereas I can't.

I go for alacarte coz I am like you, I don't eat a lot. hehehe